


Christmas Cheer

by saddle_tramp



Series: Losers of Suburbia [6]
Category: The Losers (2010)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, F/M, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I hope this makes y'all smile like I did writing it, I'm talking the fluffiest fluff to ever fluff, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, seriously cavity inducing y'all I mean it, these glorious Losers ambushed me on Christmas with this sh...tuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:07:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28400616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saddle_tramp/pseuds/saddle_tramp
Summary: It’s a few days late, but it’s always the thought that counts, right? This is for everyone who loves these Losers as much as I do. Happy holidays, y’all.Clay has a question, or thinks he does.
Relationships: Carlos "Cougar" Alvarez/Jake Jensen, Franklin Clay & Jake Jensen's Sister
Series: Losers of Suburbia [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1743733
Comments: 5
Kudos: 32





	Christmas Cheer

“How did you know?”

Clay didn’t know what made him ask it, he had decided long ago _never_ to ask, but then he and Cougar were standing on the front porch in the godawful Christmas sweaters Beth and Jake bought for them and suddenly he had already said the words.

Jake, Jessica, and Beth were down the block _rollerskating_ towards them in the snowy twilight. Singing Christmas carols and delivering cookies to their friends on Christmas Eve was a Jensen family tradition, and Beth and Jessica had insisted on making Clay and Cougar a part of it, though Cougar had managed to confine his part of the ritual to making the cookies and candies with the family, using the excuse he didn’t know how to rollerskate and knew only two Christmas songs. Clay hadn’t bothered to make up an excuse, just laughed and told Beth it wasn’t his thing, but he had volunteered to play pack mule and cart the festive hand-decorated tote bags filled with cookies, candies, and good Mexican hot chocolate out to the street whenever the wagon got empty. 

The mailbox still said ‘The Alvarez-Jensen Family’ even though Clay had decided to stay, but he didn’t mind at all. Over the last six weeks or so he had learned that his family had a lot of neighbors they considered friends, most of them with kids that either Beth or Jake and Cougar babysat on occasion, so it took a while to deliver all the goodies and sing each family a different carol. Jake had dressed up as Santa at Beth’s insistence, complete with a fat suit and the hair and beard. Beth had decided to dress as one of Santa’s elves with big curly-toed felt slippers over the rollerblades on her feet and a short-skirted elf costume that would have never been allowed if not for the thick tights she wore under it. Jessica was next to her dressed as Mrs Claus in a long red velvet dress with a full skirt, fur trim, and a black belt that emphasized her trim waist.

Perrito hadn’t been spared from the festivities and was trotting next to Jake in his new leather working harness that had small black multicam MOLLE pouches on either side with a patch on each one that said ‘PTSD Service Dog’ in subdued grey text. Perrito had just recently passed all the testing that the men who trained the K9 officers for the local police department could come up with and was legally allowed to go anywhere that Cougar or Jake did. He also wore an AKC-issued Canine Good Citizen medal on his loose leather collar along with his rabies tag, his county licensing tag, and a name tag that looked just like a military dogtag.

Cougar hadn’t begun training Perrito intending for him to be a service dog, he had mostly intended him as a pet and maybe a protection dog to keep the family safe, but Perrito was bred to work and turned out to be one of those dogs who naturally wanted to help his people. Perrito knew when Cougar or Jake was having a rough time even before they did and instinctively tried to help, distracting them from triggery situations or even waking them from nightmares. Jessica had been the one who started sending videos of PTSD service dogs in training to Cougar’s phone, and Cougar had given in after he saw that many of Perrito’s natural responses to one of his people being upset were identical to what PTSD dogs spent weeks or even months being _trained_ to do.

Jake and Cougar both had PTSD, though Jake’s problems seldom showed themselves in public, not like Cougar’s did if something triggered him. Cougar was usually fine when he was with Jake or even with one of the family, but when he was alone it could easily trigger anxiety attacks, especially if he was alone in a crowd, which usually sparked Cougar’s temper because he hated feeling afraid. Being angry and afraid in a crowd could go badly quickly, so Cougar had simply avoided going near crowds alone for years unless it was for a mission, and even then he usually had Jake on comms in his ear talking to him. 

After they left the military way of life behind, Cougar hadn’t liked the way Jake would drop everything to go with him when there was some errand that needed taken care of, but he didn’t like advertising his problems either so he had tried to just ignore it. It had taken quite a bit of persuasion to get him to take Perrito with him the first few times, but eventually he had begun to adjust and it was working out well, giving both Cougar and Jake more freedom. With Perrito watching his back, Cougar had even felt safe braving a crowded mall to go Christmas shopping alone, allowing him to do most of his shopping in barely an hour. 

Perrito often went with Jake and Cougar even when they were together now, allowing Perrito to stick with Cougar as the dog so obviously thought he should, but sometimes when it was Cougar staying home he sent Perrito along with Jake, trusting the dog to protect Jake for him. He had insisted on it that evening because of a loose Spaniel mix from the next block over that had been roaming the neighborhood and snarling at people recently. The dog was afraid of Perrito, running whenever it saw him, so Jake had hitched Beth's Radio Flyer wagon to Perrito’s harness with two short straps and off they went.

Tinsel and battery-powered lights had already been strung on the wagon, so Beth had taken it upon herself to dress up Perrito before they left. The rather large black Shepherd looked very happy prancing along with his family in the snow despite the antlered Santa hat tied on his head or the wagon at his heels. When the four of them left the house the wagon had been full and Perrito had to work a bit harder to pull it through the snow, but now the four big plastic tubs in the living room were empty, every tote bag having been passed out, and the wagon rattled lightly along behind him.

Clay could faintly hear Jake, Beth, and Jessica singing as they returned from the far end of the neighborhood, but Jessica was all he really saw. She looked beautiful gliding gracefully along by Beth in her Mrs Claus outfit, smiling and singing with Beth and Jake, and it almost made him wish he had given in when Jake tried to talk him into being Santa so Jake could dress up as an elf. Clay hadn’t been skating in over twenty years, but he had refused mostly because he didn’t know the words to any Christmas songs other than ‘ _Silent Night'_ and ‘ _Jingle Bells_ ’. Well, not songs he could sing around Beth, at least. Raunchy cadences didn't count, even if they _were_ about Santa.

Clay finally realized Cougar hadn’t answered him and looked over to find Cougar giving him a raised eyebrow, looking amused and obviously waiting for him to elaborate. 

“That you really love him,” Clay added softly, surprised to feel his face heating up a bit.

Cougar smiled, turning to look at Jake as he murmured, “That is not what you want to know, _mi amigo_. You wish to know how I knew that I loved him enough to give up everything I had ever thought I wanted for myself to find _my_ happiness by ensuring _his_.”

“Yeah,” Clay murmured, his gaze going back to Jessica as he realized Cougar was right. “That.”

The question had been plaguing his mind recently, and he knew why just as sure as he knew that Cougar wasn’t surprised he had been thinking about it. He was sure that he loved Jessica, he had stopped even considering getting with other women which was a first for him, but he wasn’t sure if he loved her _enough_. He wanted to, wanted to make a life with her and maybe even have a kid or two, but the whole idea scared him shitless, too. He had a horrible track record with women and the very last thing he wanted to do was to hurt Jessica. If he did, he’d lose not just her, but everyone he considered family.

Little Diva chose then to let out a soft yip, making Clay glance down at where she was perched primly in the crook of his left arm. She had gone out with the others at first but quickly decided the snow was too cold for her pampered little paws and then kept fussing when whoever held her tried to sing, so Clay had ended up with her after the first tote bag refill. She had waited on the porch while he carried out the next round of tote bags, refusing to set foot in the snow again, but then she had insisted on being held and he had given in fairly gracefully. If he didn’t, she would have just yipped and whined until she got her way, he knew. She was so thoroughly spoiled that Jessica had talked Jake and Cougar into putting in a fancy fake-grass puppy pad on the covered back patio so Diva could go out to do her business without ever getting her little paws wet.

Diva’s name seemed especially fitting that night with her decked out in a blinged-out pink leather collar and a tiny little sweater with a fuzzy Santa hat, watching the goings on with that superior air that only a spoiled Chihuahua can manage. She wasn’t looking at him, instead watching the rest of the family approaching up the road, and Clay looked back towards them too for a moment before he looked again at Cougar.

Cougar was watching their family approach too, but he felt Clay’s gaze and looked at Clay again, still smiling. “It was long before I knew my true feelings for him.” 

Cougar looked towards Jake and their girls again, snorting softly and drawing Clay’s attention back to them too. Jake had grabbed Beth’s hands and was spinning in circles with her in the middle of the road, making Jessica laugh and stop Perrito to watch as snow flew and Jake and Beth broke into a loud rendition of ‘ _I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas’_. They had no right to sound as good as they did, belting out such a silly song, but Jake and Beth had long ago learned how to harmonize together as easily as breathing.

Cougar looked back at Clay after a few moments as he said simply, “I think he has always owned me.” He looked at Jake again, watching him with Beth as he murmured, “I just didn’t know it was so until Bogata.”

The Losers had done two missions in Bogata, one early on after Cougar joined them and the other about six months before Bolivia. Cougar had been hurt on both missions, shot once high in the back of his left shoulder far too close to his spine the first time and then hit no less than _four_ times during the second mission. After the first one Jake had somehow gotten them all new battle armor with more coverage and stronger back plates that had saved them too many times to count, which was why Cougar had survived the second time. Clay was pretty sure Jake hacked into something he wasn’t even supposed to know _existed_ to get the expensive protective equipment sent to them, but he had never asked. He had wanted his boys safer too.

Clay stared at Cougar for a few moments before he asked softly, “First or second time?” 

“First,” Cougar replied, looking back towards the street as he heard Jessica applaud something Jake or Beth - or maybe both, since they both bowed to her with cheesy grins - had done. He turned suddenly back to Clay, his expression going serious as he added very softly, “While we ran for extraction I saw a red dot on the back of Jake’s neck. I moved to block the hit, expecting to die, but I was lucky. Jake was very angry, but he was safe and whole so I did not mind the yelling or the lecture.” He smiled suddenly again, adding, “I think that God, he takes care of his fools and knew that _mi amor loco_ would need me again.”

“He always has been a bit of a fool over you,” Clay pointed out quietly, smiling.

“Yes, as I am for him,” Cougar agreed. He turned back towards the road, raising his voice as he called, “An icy road is not the place to _play_! Come inside, the lasagna is done and there is Ibarra hot chocolate with peppermint bark brownies for dessert!”

Jake let go of Beth to hurl himself towards the driveway, rollerblades sliding sideways in the snow as he crowed, “Last one in does the dishes!” 

“No fair!” Beth yelled, but she was right there next to him within a few strides, laughing.

“You two be careful!” Jessica called as she watched them go and followed much more carefully, Perrito still at her side pulling the empty wagon even though the dog was looking at Cougar now, obviously wanting to go to him.

Cougar gave Perrito a slight shake of his head and turned to go inside, giving Clay a smirk as he murmured, “And I have made sure there is peppermint _schnapps_ to spike our hot chocolate this time.”

Clay grinned and quickly moved to follow Cougar into the house, absently petting Diva as he said smugly, “I _am_ your favorite other than Jake.”

Cougar just laughed and headed for the kitchen, where the lasagna and an empty basket waited for them near a pitcher of a surprisingly dark red drink on the big island that doubled as the family dinner table. There was a sheet pan of buttered bread sprinkled with garlic and herbs on the stove next to a cooling pan of brownies, and Cougar moved the bread into one of the wall ovens to heat up as Clay walked to his usual chair and put Diva down, then took a seat. 

Cougar began setting the table with plates and silverware while Clay let his gaze roam, smiling and still not quite able to believe Cougar had let Jake and Beth decorate his kitchen. It looked like Christmas had _exploded_ in the room, decorations hung on anything that held still long enough. There were garlands of greenery on the fridge, the back of the stove, and on top of the microwave, and real mistletoe bound with gold ribbons was hung over all three doorways, the sink, and the fridge. Strings of colorful blinking lights had been run along the bottom of the upper cabinets and then used to hang tiny silver plastic firearms of all shapes and sizes that simply _had_ to be Jake’s idea, the changing lights making the weapons change colors too. 

All the stainless steel canisters on the counter by the wall ovens were wrapped with colorful plaid ribbons and topped with matching bows, and the white glass cutting board they hardly ever used was in the nearby corner with poofs of cotton along the walls and several little figures scattered across it, most with paperclips on their feet ‘ice skating’. There was a twirling ballerina Barbie that Clay recognized from Beth’s birthday cake a few years ago, a SpongeBob figure wearing a pirate hat and ugly briefs and looking very happy about it, a T-Rex that seemed to be chasing a Minion figure, and Chewbacca brandishing a crossbow and wearing a tiny Santa hat. 

Even the knife rack hadn’t escaped the carnage. One of those ‘Elf on a Shelf’ dolls was pinned to it with a paring knife through the little doll’s hat and the doll’s hands both attached somehow to the hat as if to hold on, the legs dangling so they were looped around the spot where the scissors were. The legs of another elf were draped over the back of the knife block on either side of the largest chef knife, making it look like one _might_ have been murdered there.

To the left of the stove between it and the microwave things were a bit less childish, though no less festive. There was a stack of colorful Christmas tins, each one filled with a different kind of cookies, but the pretty crystal bowl of dried fruits next to them was nearly empty again. It had turned out that Cougar loved dried fruit, especially pineapple rings, dates, and apricots, so Jake had ordered big boxes of the stuff online and was refilling the bowl every morning. The bowl still held a few slices of dried apple and peach, some whole pitted cherries and cranberries, and two rings of pineapple, but the rest would likely disappear by morning. 

The counter to the right of the stove was the smallest in the kitchen, and it was crowded with the ingredients to make the sausage cheese balls that Jake, Jessica, and Beth had declared were the _only_ acceptable breakfast on Christmas morning while opening presents. The recipe was evidently an easy one with just three ingredients, Bisquick mixed with raw sausage and shredded cheese and then formed into balls and baked, but the sausage and cheese were supposed to be room temperature to mix them so they had to sit out a while. The plan was to make them later that night, probably after Beth got to open one gift and headed to bed leaving the adults to enjoy a little quiet time together before they followed her example.

Jessica had already declared that no matter how many sausage cheese balls they made, there were sure to be no leftovers by the day after Christmas. Of course, there probably wouldn’t be many leftovers of any kind by then. Pooch, Jolene, and Pup were having Christmas Eve with Jolene’s family but would be joining the rest of them around noon on Christmas, so there would be eight people in the house much of the day and Jolene was already complaining that the baby was making her hungry all the time. Add in Pooch’s appetite when someone offered him food, Clay’s tendency to eat whatever he was offered, and Jake’s lack of willpower around sweets, and the cookie tins and the big container of extra cookies in the freezer were all living on borrowed time.

Cougar, Beth, and Jake had been working hard at trying to make sure there would be enough of everything for the whole family to get a chance to really enjoy the different treats, though. The kitchen had been a mess for most of a month, something always in progress, but even Cougar hadn’t minded. Extras had been made of all the cookies that the Jensens made for Christmas every year as well as several of Cougar’s favorite holiday sweets that were traditional in Mexico and the pecan pralines and peppermint divinity Clay’s grandmother had made for him when he was a boy. 

Cougar had even spent one morning filling his big new smoker out back with hundreds of strips of beef and venison that he turned into absolutely _amazing_ jerky and stowed away in vacuum sealed packages that Cougar had hidden almost as soon as they were done. Quite a bit had ended up going into the packages for the neighbors, but Clay hoped that there was enough left over that some might reappear in the near future. He had stolen a piece of the spicy venison version while Cougar worked and it was delicious.

After all the cooking that had been done over the last few weeks, Jessica and Jolene had declared Christmas to be _everyone’s_ day off in the kitchen, so Christmas day lunch was going to be barbecued ribs, smoked brisket, fajitas, grilled veggies, and mac and cheese that was all in the big freezer down in the laundry room waiting to be reheated in the ovens to serve with a big tub of potato salad that was in the fridge. Cougar, Jessica, and Jolene had prepared it all while working on other meals over the last two weeks so that the big family meal on Christmas day would be no more difficult than moving foil-covered pans from the freezer to the ovens and then later putting all of the food on the table. It might get a bit crowded with all the food on the island, but Thanksgiving had already proven that everyone would have room enough. Pup had a high chair that would sit back from the table near Jolene, so there would really only be two more plates on the table than there were at most meals.

Christmas dinner was going to be even easier than lunch and wouldn’t involve turning on the stove or the ovens. They were all having Chinese food, though exactly what they got would be decided when they actually ordered. Jessica had ordered Chinese takeout for every Christmas dinner since she and Jake ended up on their own and she wasn’t about to stop now, especially not when her favorite Chinese place in town had sent out a flyer saying they would be open until 8 P.M. on Christmas and offered special deals on large orders.

Cougar felt a bit like ordering Chinese for a holiday meal was cheating, but he had been soundly outvoted and he knew better than to argue or Jolene might bring another ‘holiday staple’ into his kitchen like the tofurkey she brought for Thanksgiving after he refused her offer to help cook. The tofurkey had ended up getting fed to the garbage disposal after Jolene, Pooch, and Pup left. Even _Perrito_ wouldn’t eat it, and more than one family member had often claimed he was part Hoover. The tofurkey had smelled even worse than it tasted and left one of the ovens with such a stink in it that Cougar had to clean it three times before it stopped filling the house with _eau de tofurkey_ again whenever it was turned on.

Jake suddenly flung open the door to the garage, rollerblades already off to reveal the neon plaid wool socks he wore and his Santa hat, hair, and beard in his free hand. He was beaming as he groaned, “Ooh _wow_!” He took a slow deep breath, closing his eyes, then let it out with a wide smile and said feelingly, " _Mi magnifico puma me ama!_ ”

Cougar smirked, glancing over at Jake as he put the last of the silverware by Jake’s plate. “You may not have any until you change out of that... suit.”

“ _Si, senor!_ ” Jake replied instantly, heading for the back hallway. “Give me two minutes.”

“You have until the garlic bread is done in _five_ minutes, then we eat with or without you,” Cougar replied, still smirking slightly as he watched Jake go past.

Jake detoured to kiss Cougar soundly, then hurried into the hallway as he said, “Easy!”

Perrito trotted in the still-open back door then, still wearing his antlered hat and his harness, though the straps to attach it to the wagon had been removed when he was unhooked from it. He went straight to Cougar and sat down in front of him, tail wagging slowly even though he looked very serious, and Cougar smiled as he murmured, “ _Buen chico_.” 

Cougar knelt down on one knee, ruffling Perrito’s ears and then reaching for the girth strap behind Perrito’s forelegs that belted the harness on the dog. Jake had special-ordered the harness, which was leather with soft neoprene padding on the inside anywhere the harness might rub and multiple loops where MOLLE accessories could be attached. Jake had bought a ridiculous number of attachments for it ‘just in case’, but the two pouches they actually used were identical small bags the size of a paperback book. One held treats, a copy of Perrito’s shot records, and what Beth had dubbed ‘doodie bags’, and the other held a knife, a flashlight, some cash, and a cell phone with all of their numbers programmed into it. 

Cougar lifted the whole harness off over Perrito’s head and then said quietly, “Go play.”

Perrito licked Cougar’s cheek before Cougar could stand up, then happily bolted off into the living room and a moment later they all heard the familiar squeak of his favorite toy, a grey hedgehog. Cougar chuckled at the rapid squeaking as Perrito chewed on the toy, shaking his head slightly and following the dog as he muttered, “ _Perrito tonto_.” The squeaking stopped for a moment and then Cougar laughed and added, “I am fine. Play!” 

The squeaking happily resumed as Cougar went to hang Perrito’s harness on a hook by the front door where it usually was when they were at home. Clay smiled a little wider, standing to go get glasses for everyone just as Beth hurried in the back door with Jessica right behind her.

“Jacob, I know you weren’t born in a barn!” Jessica called as soon as she was inside, closing the door behind her firmly. She and Beth had left their rollerblades in the garage as well, though Jessica had stepped into a pair of moccasins instead of just wearing her socks like Beth was doing.

“He can’t hear you, darlin’,” Clay said with a chuckle, turning back towards the table with five glasses in hand. “What do you two want to drink?”

Beth looked hopefully at Jessica. “Dr Pepper?”

“Alright, if you get it yourself,” Jessica agreed, making Beth squeal and hurry off towards the pantry. Beth wasn’t allowed to drink many sodas because her dentist had told Jessica that her permanent teeth were showing signs of acid damage, but it _was_ Christmas. “Grab me one too.”

“Yes ma’am!” Beth replied quickly, pausing at the pantry door as she called, “ _Tio_? You want a Jarritos?”

“No, I will have the tea,” Cougar replied, walking back into the kitchen. “And so will Jake, so do not ask him.”

Beth laughed but didn’t say anything, disappearing into the pantry as Jessica asked, “Where _is_ Jake? What had him in such a hurry that he left the back door wide open?”

“He’s downstairs getting rid of the Santa suit,” Clay replied, amused. “Cougar threatened to start eating dinner without him if he didn’t hurry.”

“That would do it with lasagna on the table,” Jessica agreed with a slight laugh as Cougar moved to check the garlic bread.

“Do I have to change before dinner too?” Beth asked, hurrying out of the pantry with two cans of Diet Dr Pepper.

“Yes,” Jessica replied instantly, already moving towards the back hallway. “It’s _Christmas Eve._ ”

“Tacky sweaters and ‘jama pants!” Beth crowed, putting down the drinks she held and then running for the stairs.

Clay looked at Cougar, moving towards the island with the glasses as he said dryly, “I’m not changing pants.” It was bad enough he was wearing a bright red sweater with a huge reindeer in sunglasses on the front and miniature bells and poofs of tinsel hung on it.

Cougar closed the oven to let the bread cook a few more minutes as he said, “ _Tampoco yo._ Jeans will do.” His own tacky sweater had handguns, AK-type rifles, and hand grenades on it where a more normal one might have had reindeer or snowflakes and said ‘Peace On Earth Through Superior Firepower’. He paused, watching Clay set the glasses down not far from Clay’s own plate, then added, “We will all want ice, I think.”

Clay laughed slightly, feeling wry as he scooped the glasses up again to carry them to the opposite end of the island near the fridge. “I knew that.”

Cougar leaned against the counter near the oven, watching Clay fill the first two glasses about half full with ice from the dispenser on the front of the fridge. “Put extra ice in my glass and Jake’s, the tea is still warm.”

“Mine too then,” Clay agreed, putting down the two glasses he had filled half way and then moving to fill two more. “What kind of tea do we have tonight?”

“ _Jamaica_ ,” Cougar replied. “With a little pineapple juice. I think it will go well with the meal.”

“ _Jamaica,_ is that the one with those big red flowers?” Clay asked, glancing over at Cougar. Cougar had never served him a tea he didn’t like, but he was still curious.

“ _Si_ , it is,” Cougar agreed. “Hibiscus flowers. It is not the same as fresh, but still tastes good with the juice to take out the bitterness.”

“I’m sure it will be great,” Clay agreed, moving to put the glasses of ice next to the appropriate plates. He remembered many times in the jungle when Cougar had gathered various flowers and plants to make tea from them when they boiled their drinking water, claiming it was medicinal when Clay knew the simple truth was that Jake hated drinking plain water. Making the flavorful teas had ensured Jake would drink enough to stay hydrated in the hot, humid conditions so Cougar had done it without making a big deal of it.

The basement door closed a few moments later and then Jake hurried back into the kitchen, grinning. “Hah! Made it.” He had changed into a forest green Christmas sweater with a pattern of white snowflakes and traditional lines and zigzags except for the bright red text ‘I’m On The Naughty List And I Regret NOTHING!’. It clashed horribly with his vividly pink pajama pants that had Patrick the starfish all over them in various Christmas hats and costumes, which also clashed with the neon green plaid socks.

Cougar’s lips twitched slightly and he moved to look into the oven, checking on the garlic bread again. The buttery tops were sizzling nicely, golden with scattered flecks of the dried herbs he had mixed in with the garlic powder, and the edges had gotten brown and crispy. He reached for a towel as he said, “Barely.”

“Close always counts except in hand grenades, horseshoes, and nuclear warfare,” Jake responded instantly, dropping onto his stool and leaning to reach for the tea pitcher. “Hibiscus?”

“With pineapple juice instead of sugar,” Cougar agreed, pulling the sheet pan of garlic bread out of the oven to carry it to the center island. He began transferring the bread to the basket he had already lined with a towel as he added, “Fill mine too, _mi amor_.”

“Duh,” Jake replied, making Clay chuckle slightly as he leaned to slide his own glass over for Jake to fill it too.

Jake was just finishing up and moving the half-empty pitcher back to where it had been out of the way when they all heard a door close down the back hall. Jessica walked into the kitchen a few moments later in red and black plaid pajama pants and a bright red sweater covered with white snowflakes everywhere but the front, where there were two leaping reindeer on either side of the words ‘Merry Christmas Ya Filthy Animal!’

Clay’s lips twitched, waiting until he caught Jessica’s eye to say, “Woof!”

Jessica blinked and then laughed, continuing around the island to stand by Clay before she muttered, “Behave, you.” She kissed him lightly.

Clay smirked and watched Jessica sit on the stool next to his, eyes sparkling as he teased, “Might wanna be a bit more specific with that, darlin’.”

“Si, he has been around _mi amor_ too long, _hermanita,_ ” Cougar agreed, chuckling softly as he moved to put the empty ban into the big farm sink. “You must specify how you wish him to behave or he will default to _badly_.”

Jessica giggled and gave Clay a quelling look that didn’t go with the sparkle in her bright blue eyes at all as she said firmly, “Be _good_ or you won’t get to be _bad_ later.”

“That sounded like the kinda threat I like,” Clay murmured, still smirking. 

“Mmm,” Jessica agreed, reaching for the can by her plate to pop the top and begin filling her glass. “You know what they say, ‘If Mama ain’t happy...’”

Clay heard Beth’s door close upstairs and then the sound of her starting down the stairs but ignored it as he leaned over towards Jessica to murmur very close to her ear, “I can make you _very_ happy whenever you want, Mama...”

Jessica giggled, blushing and giving him a sidelong look. “Not in front of Beth.”

“Yes ma’am,” Clay agreed, giving her a wink and then pulling away to sit up straight again as he looked at Cougar and asked, “So can we eat yet or what, Coug?”

“Dinner time!” Beth crowed, hurrying in to jump on her stool. 

Cougar laughed, nodding as he moved to stand by the lasagna pan, picking up a spatula to start cutting it up. “Pass your plates.” Beth and Jake both had their plates held out towards the lasagna before Cougar even finished saying it, making Clay and Jessica laugh as Cougar teased, “One at a time!”

Jake and Beth looked at each other and then Jake pulled his plate back as he said cheerfully, “Ladies first, but I get a corner.”

“And I want a corner, too,” Beth agreed, beaming. “I love the crunchy browned edges.”

“They’re the _best_ ,” Jake agreed, watching hungrily as Cougar took Beth’s plate and loaded it with a good-sized piece of lasagna and a slice of crusty garlic bread. Cougar had built the lasagna in a deep pan, the meat, mushrooms, cheeses, and thick red sauce layered in between pasta sheets until it was all a good four inches deep.

Cougar passed the plate back to Beth, saying firmly, “It has cooled some but it is still very hot in the middle.”

“I’ll be careful,” Beth agreed, taking her plate and looking happily at the chunk of lasagna he had given her. It looked like quite a bit more than a girl her age could eat, but Beth loved lasagna and planned to eat every bite as she added, “It smells even better than it looks, _Tio_. I’m sure it’s delicious.”

“It’s gonna be _awesome_ ,” Jake agreed, offering his plate to Cougar again. 

Cougar just smiled and filled Jake’s plate, giving him the same large portion he gave Beth, then filled Jessica’s plate and Clay’s before he finally filled his own. Jake would likely go back for seconds, possibly even thirds, but everyone would start with the same sized piece for the simple reason that was how big the spatula was and lifting anything bigger to the plate was asking to make a huge mess.

The meal passed more quietly than usual, but that was mostly because Jake and Beth were too busy scarfing down lasagna to talk as much as they normally did. Lasagna was a family favorite that they didn’t often get to have. None of them approved of dieting, but Cougar and Jessica _did_ try to make sure that the family ate healthy, balanced meals and Cougar’s lasagna was about as far from healthy as it could be without battering the whole thing and deep frying it. It was packed with Italian-style pork and lamb sausage, four kinds of cheese, sautéed mushrooms, scratch-made fire-roasted tomato sauce with roasted garlic and onions and herbs fresh from the back yard, and fresh pasta.

Christmas Eve was special, though. All of the usual family rules about what was allowed as a meal went out the window on Christmas Eve, which was why lunch had been cookies and dried fruit that they all munched on while assembling the gifts for the neighbors. The sweets had been delicious, but as was normal with sugary carbs, they had left everyone starving a few hours later. Lasagna was just the thing to make up for it, leaving them all full and satisfied by the time the meal was over.

Beth and Jake had volunteered to do dishes while Cougar put the leftovers away, and Clay and Jessica ended up going into the living room alone after the meal. Clay had taken a seat in one of the recliners as he usually did, sprawling comfortably as he watched Jessica walk to the Christmas tree to adjust a few of the ornaments. She had been moving ornaments around every time she passed the tree since they put it up, and she evidently still wasn’t quite happy with how it looked. 

Clay thought the tree had turned out surprisingly good considering the fact that Jake had been allowed to help buy ornaments for it. Jake had started by buying customized ornaments online that looked a lot like the animals on Beth’s door, bought from someplace called Etsy. There was a black cougar wearing a tiny cowboy hat that was curled around a Golden Retriever in a pirate hat and glasses. A Rottie in sunglasses had been hung up on another part of the tree with a Doberman wearing pearls that had a puppy peeking out between her front feet, and there was a black Shepherd in a tiny leather harness. A delicate white unicorn mare and foal were laying down together on one branch near the top of the tree, and a black bear was almost hidden deeper in the tree right behind them. 

There were SpongeBob ornaments too, of course, and miniature spaceships Clay recognized from several movies, tiny little aliens that glowed in the dark, and those damn Pokemon things from that game Jake had played so much _Clay_ recognized all the sound effects when he heard them. There were little golden balls with delicate gold foil wings too, stubby baseball bats, brooms, brown frogs, and several furry little things Jake had declared were Tribbles even though Beth insisted they were Puffskiens, whatever those were. There were dozens of miniature weapons of all shapes and sizes tucked into the tree from tiny handguns to a rocket launcher and even a few grenades, and a bundle of grey putty and toy dynamite that would have been invisible if there wasn’t a blinking red light on the ‘detonator’ was wrapped to the tree trunk as if someone had wired it all to blow.

There was even a grinning shark in sunglasses, which had made Jessica laugh for some reason, but somehow Jessica and Beth had managed to decorate around Jake’s crazy and make it all look good. They had added angels and toy soldiers, snowflakes and pearly white icicles, delicate-looking clear plastic stars that looked like blown glass, and even a Santa in a sleigh pulled by four pairs of reindeer that stretched across several branches. The tree topper was an ornate golden star with delicate engraving that looked vaguely Celtic, which matched the patterned gold ribbons and bows that were scattered seemingly at random when you were up close, but from a distance you could see they spiraled down from top to bottom.

Overall, Clay couldn’t figure out why Jessica still felt the need to keep moving ornaments around, but he wasn’t going to say so. He just watched her with a smile, enjoying the way her stretching to reach an upper limb showed off her ass as she moved the Millennium Falcon over next to the X-Wing fighter.

“I can feel you staring at me again,” Jessica said quietly, stepping back to tilt her head and look at the tree measuringly, smiling slightly.

“That’s ‘cause I enjoy watchin’ you, darlin’,” Clay replied softly, amused.

Jessica looked at the tree a moment longer and then turned to look at Clay, shifting to stand with her fist on her hip. “You do, hmm?” She looked down at her tacky sweater and plaid pajama pants and then back at him, teasing, “Even in this?”

“Very much,” Clay agreed, his smile turning a bit wicked as he added, “but I gotta admit I’d enjoy the view even more if you were out of it.” They had been flirting and teasing each other for weeks, but they hadn’t gotten past a little kissing. Normally it would have driven Clay crazy, but for Jessica he was willing to go with it, patiently waiting for her to decide when or if they would get any further.

Jessica laughed. “I bet you would.” She walked over to his chair and then surprised him by sitting sideways across his lap, sliding one arm around his neck as she murmured, “Maybe you should ask Santa to arrange it.”

“I’d rather it was your idea,” Clay replied, settling his hands on her waist and thigh as he smiled at her. She hadn’t invited herself into his lap before, but he definitely didn’t mind. She was a lovely lapful with soft curves in all the right places, blue eyes that could captivate him with a glance, and a personality that he found endlessly fascinating. Like her brother, she was very smart and more than a little bit unpredictable with a wide mischievous streak that kept things interesting, but she was a bit sharper-edged than Jake, tougher and less likely to put up with anything she didn't like. 

“I have _lots_ of ideas,” Jessica murmured, meeting his gaze as she settled a little closer, her free hand toying with one of the tinsel poofs hung on his sweater.

“I’d love to hear them,” Clay said with a smile, his thumb slowly stroking the soft flannel covering her thigh.

“You two lovebirds want any hot chocolate?” Jake asked suddenly, making them both turn towards the kitchen doorway. Jake was standing there looking happy and amused as he added, “Cougar’s making a batch.”

“Yes, please,” Jessica agreed instantly, smiling at Jake. “I want peppermint Kisses with mine.”

“And Coug knows how I want mine,” Clay added.

“Got it,” Jake agreed, turning away to go back into the kitchen just as Beth came out with a plate of brownies topped with peppermint bark.

“These brownies smell _awesome_ , Mom,” Beth said quickly. “It was a great idea to put _Tio’s_ triple fudge brownies and the peppermint bark together into one dessert.”

“It sounded good to me,” Jessica agreed, smiling at Beth before she looked back at Clay and murmured quietly, “We’ll have to finish this discussion later.”

“Glad to,” Clay replied softly, smiling at Jessica. “Just tell me when and where.”

Jessica kissed Clay's cheek lightly and then bounced up out of his lap, moving to sit on the couch with Beth as she teased, “So how many did you steal so far?”

“None!” Beth protested quickly, laughing. “I’m behaving myself. _Tio_ said if I wait until after we open presents, he’ll read to me and Jake before bed.”

Jessica laughed. “And was that your idea or Jake’s?”

“Neither,” Beth replied, grinning. “It was _Tio’s_ idea, he says that after such a hearty dinner we all need to let it settle before we add triple fudge brownies on top.”

“Got a point there,” Clay agreed, chuckling softly.

“Yes, but you only get to open _one_ present tonight,” Jessica said just a bit pointedly, kicking off her moccasins and shifting on the couch to get comfortable with her feet tucked up under her.

“I know, Mom,” Beth agreed, rolling her eyes. “But I know just the ones I want to see everyone else open, too!” She started towards the tree, grinning.

“Hold it right there!” Jessica said firmly, making Beth stop in her tracks and look at her in surprise. “Cougar wants to pick out what presents we open tonight, so have a seat.”

Beth made a face but walked back to the couch to sit down, looking curious as she asked, “Does he want us to open the ones he bought first or something?”

“I don’t know, I didn’t ask,” Jessica replied. “He just said he wanted to pick out the gifts tonight and I agreed.” She left it unsaid that Cougar didn't ask her for much, so she was more likely to say yes when he actually did. 

“Huh,” Beth said, looking at the tree again to take in all the gifts piled around it. There were quite a few in all shapes and sizes, ranging from ones the size of a pack of cards up to the two big bulky boxes tucked into the back against the wall that Beth likely could have fit into if she tried. Some had been wrapped at the store where they were purchased and others were obviously wrapped at home, like the ones with Paw Patrol or My Little Ponies on them, or the ones wrapped with the SpongeBob paper Jake had picked out.

Cougar walked out of the kitchen with a large steaming mug in each hand after a few moments of silence, followed by Jake with a tray that held three more mugs, each with a spoon in it, and a bowl of unwrapped red and white striped peppermint Hershey’s Kisses. Cougar gave one of the mugs he carried to Clay and then continued towards the tree, sipping at the other mug before he said, “Time for presents!”

Jake put the tray of hot chocolate he was carrying down on the coffee table with the brownies, then sat on the couch by Beth as she crowed happily, “Yay!”

Jake snickered and passed one of the mugs to Jessica, then held out the bowl of peppermint Kisses for her to grab a few to drop into her mug as he teased, “Bethy loves us for the presents.”

“I love you for _you_ ,” Beth said quickly, grinning. “I love _Christmas_ for the presents! And the cookies and candy!”

Everyone else laughed and Cougar pulled a package in almost excessively neat plain silver paper wrapped with a gold ribbon out from under the tree, moving to offer it to Beth with a flourish as he murmured, “You first, _ninita_.”

Beth beamed and accepted the box, which was fairly large. She checked the tag first, then her eyes widened as she looked at Clay, who grinned at her and teased, “Just because Coug’s picking what to open doesn’t mean he bought them all.”

Beth giggled and looked back at the box, slipping the ribbon off the side and then carefully loosening the paper to reveal a plain white box. She opened it and folded back several sheets of vivid red tissue paper and then gasped, her eyes going wide at the black suede leather inside. She lifted it out to hold it up, staring at the suede leather coat with subtle beaded trim and short fringe in a vee on the back and each side of the upper chest, then hugged it to her chest and stared at Clay. She had seen the coat in a window at the mall while they were shopping for Christmas presents, but she hadn’t realized Clay even noticed she liked it, much less that he might go back later without her to buy it. “I _love_ it, Uncle Clay,” she said, blinking back tears.

“Thought you might,” Clay murmured, smiling warmly. “Try it on. Let us see.”

Beth jumped up, dropping the box on the floor with a muffled thump as she carefully put the coat on, inhaling the mingled scents of leather, cedar, and a hint of citrus. It was a little bit too big for her but she didn’t even notice that as she beamed and hugged it around herself. “It’s so _warm_ , and it smells so good!” 

“The smell is cedar,” Clay said, smiling. “Leather’s too heavy for cheap plastic hangers, so it has a wood hanger that will help keep its shape. It’s there in the box.”

“It looks good on you,” Cougar said, smiling as he watched Beth from where he stood near the tree.

“Very nice!” Jake agreed, grinning. “Reminds me of a leather jacket Jessica used to have when we were teenagers. It wasn’t suede, but she loved that thing.”

“It’s lovely,” Jessica agreed, smiling warmly at Beth. “And it’s good that it’s a little big, that way you won’t outgrow it too soon. A nice leather jacket like that will last forever if you take care of it.”

Beth moved to hug Clay tightly, still beaming. “It’s _perfect_ , thank you so much.”

Clay returned the hug, smiling as he kissed her forehead and then murmured, “I’m glad you like it, darlin’.”

“I _love_ it,” Beth repeated, beaming at him and then moving back to the couch to sit by her mom and offer her one arm. “Feel how soft the suede is, Mom. It’s _wonderful_.”

Jessica reached out to run her hand along the sleeve, smiling at Beth as she agreed, “It is, and it’s a beautiful coat. You’ll have to make sure you take good very care of it.”

“Oh, I will!” Beth agreed quickly, settling back between her mom and Uncle Jake on the couch and hugging the coat to her again. “I’ll save it for special occasions.”

“Nah, don’t do that,” Clay said, making Beth and Jessica look at him in surprise. He smiled at Beth, adding, “I got it for you to _enjoy it_ , Bethy darlin’, not for it to hang in a closet. Wear it and have fun. That’s what it’s for.” He smiled wider. “If something happens to it, that just gives me the excuse to buy you another one.”

Beth beamed at him. “Thank you, Uncle Clay.”

“Next gift!” Jessica said brightly, making everyone look at her and then at Cougar.

Cougar chuckled and nodded, turning to the tree and moving around it to pick up a present wrapped in SpongeBob paper he had obviously already chosen, since he went right to it. He turned with the gift and moved to offer it to Jake, smirking slightly, “This one is yours, _mi amor._ ”

Jake laughed slightly, accepting the box about the same size as the one Beth had gotten, though his box rattled. “No fair! I thought I was the only one who wrapped stuff with the SpongeBob paper!”

“You were supposed to think that,” Jessica said dryly, smirking. “That one’s from me.”

Beth giggled, beaming and excited because she recognized the gift, which she had helped to wrap. “Open it, Uncle J!”

Jake laughed again and started to unwrap the present, much less careful than Beth had been as he ripped the paper off and then went wide-eyed. “Oh, _cool_!” It was a Lego pirate ship kit, including the tiny Lego pirates and cannons and even sails. He looked at Jessica, clutching the half-unwrapped box to his chest as he blurted, “Where did you find it?! They’ve been sold out since like _five minutes_ after they came out! I couldn’t even find one on _Amazon_ , and Amazon has _everything_.”

“Which is why I pre-ordered it months ago after I heard you telling Cougar there was going to be a pirate Lego set you wanted,” Jessica said smugly. “It’s been in my closet since October.”

Jake suddenly jumped up, putting the box where he had been and then moving quickly to pick Jessica up and hug her with her feet dangling nearly a foot off the floor, beaming. “I love you!”

Jessica giggled and hugged back, then patted his back and said, “Good, now put me down, you big ox.”

Jake laughed and set her back down on the couch, grinning wide and happy. “Best big sister _ever_.”

“Thank you,” Jessica said, beaming as she got settled on the couch again. “I try.”

“You succeed,” Jake said firmly, grinning as he picked up the Lego box again and started to pull the rest of the paper off of it, looking for the right flap to open it. 

“You are _not_ beginning that tonight, _mi amor_ ,” Cougar said firmly, making everyone look up at him in surprise. 

“But Coug,” Jake protested. “ _Pirate Legos_!”

“You will still have your pirates to play with tomorrow,” Cougar said firmly, trying and failing to hide his amusement. “Christmas _es para la familia_. _Si_?”

“ _Si_ ,” Jake agreed with a sigh, giving the box of Legos one last wistful look before he quickly moved to put it behind the couch out of sight. He reached for his hot chocolate and then settled back on the couch to get comfy as he sipped the still-warm drink and then said, “Next!”

“ _Gracias, mi amor_ ,” Cougar murmured, pleased. He turned back to the tree, moving to get a particular box in dark green paper with a wide red ribbon wrapped around it that had been tucked in behind one of the big boxes under the tree. The box was fairly large and he carried the box directly to Jessica, offering it to her with a flourish, “You are next, _hermanita_.”

Jessica smiled and accepted the box, bemused by how light it was. “ _Gracias_ ,” she replied, earning a pleased grin from Cougar that made his eyes sparkle, then she looked at the box to open it. Sliding off the ribbon wrapped around it was easy, but getting the dark green paper loose turned out to be more difficult because it was taped down so thoroughly. It took her a few moments to get under the edge of the paper, but then she just ripped it carelessly, her eyes widening as she uncovered a Lucchese Boots box with a familiar pair of black boots with turquoise and silver stitched inlays on the sides. There was no way the box was heavy enough to hold a pair of boots, she suspected it was completely empty, in fact, and she looked back up at Cougar, confused.

“One must be fitted for _real_ boots, _mi hermanita_ ,” Cougar said softly, smiling at her warmly. “We will go to get that done one day soon, and then they will make a pair just for you, exactly as you wish them to be.”

“Oh, Cougar,” Jesscia murmured, a little awed. “You shouldn’t have. They’re far too expen-”

“The money is not important,” Cougar said quickly, cutting her off. “It has only one purpose and that is to make those we love happy and safe. I saw you looking at these and knew you would not buy them for yourself, so I bought them for you.”

Jessica set the box aside and jumped up, moving to hug Cougar tightly and kiss his cheek, making him blush as she murmured, “I love you too, _hermano_.”

Cougar gave her a squeeze and then impulsively kissed her forehead. “ _Yo tambien te amo, hermanita_.” He pulled away, giving her a gentle push back towards the couch as he added, “Now sit, we are not yet done.”

Jessica laughed slightly and went back to the couch, sitting down again and tucking her feet back under her in the seat without a word.

Cougar moved back to the Christmas tree, bending gracefully to scoop up a small package from right in front underneath it. He turned with the box, which was about the size of a paperback book and very light, smiling as he walked over to Clay and said, “This one is from us all.”

Clay accepted the box, surprised as he set his nearly empty hot chocolate aside on the end table by his chair. “All of you, huh?”

Cougar nodded and stepped back, smiling as he picked up his own hot chocolate to finish it. “Open it.”

Clay gave Cougar an amused look, letting his gaze stray to Jessica and Beth and then to Jake before he looked down to open the box. It only took him a few moments and then he stared at the contents of the box for nearly a full minute, finally flipping through the slips of paper before he looked up again to find Jessica’s eyes. “Change of address forms?” he asked softly. It was her handwriting on the forms, which were all filled in, just waiting for him to sign them and send them off.

Jessica nodded, smiling. “It’s silly to keep that P.O. box in town when you could just get your mail here, honey. This is your home too.”

“What if someone comes looking for me?” Clay murmured, still meeting her gaze.

“If they know enough to look for you under the name Clay Franklin in Springfield, Ohio, then they know enough to look for Jake and Cougar anyway,” Jessica pointed out. “The world still thinks Colonel Franklin Clay is dead, though. I doubt anyone will come looking.”

“And if they do, we’ll just kick their ass,” Jake said firmly, making Clay laugh and look at him. Jake was grinning as he added, “Coug and I are loaded for bear if they feel froggy. I’ve even got body armor for the _dogs_.”

Clay blinked, bemused and wondering what else was down in the weapons room that he hadn’t noticed yet. “Of course you do.” He hesitated, but he had to know. “They make body armor for _Chihuahuas_?”

“They do if you pay enough,” Cougar agreed dryly, putting his empty mug on the tray Jake had left on the coffee table.

“For enough money they’d probably sell me armor for a _rabbit_ ,” Jake agreed, grinning. “There’s this company that makes Kevlar body armor for military and police dogs, stuff’s nearly as tough as the best battle armor for people. Getting Diva her own little pink camo vest was easy after I offered double. They drew the line at adding some bling, but Bethy’s Bedazzler and I fixed it. Our little Diva’s gotta have her sparkle.”

Clay laughed. “Only you, Jensen.”

“Yep, seems that way,” Jake agreed, grinning still. “Hopefully she’ll never need it, but if she does we’re set.”

Clay’s gaze strayed back to Jessica and he just smiled at her a few moments before he asked quietly, “So you’ve decided to keep me, huh?”

“I think so,” Jessica agreed, returning the smile. “Still a few minor details to work out-”

“Like where you’re going to sleep,” Jake put in quickly, making Jessica reach past Beth to slap the back of his head while Beth giggled.

“But I think we’ll manage,” Jessica went on as if Jake hadn’t spoken, still looking at Clay even though she was blushing.

“Whatever you want will be fine with me, darlin’,” Clay murmured quietly, a little surprised to realize that he truly meant it.

“Good,” Jessica said firmly, smiling wider. She turned to look at Cougar, changing the subject suddenly as she said, “Who gets to decide what present you open, Cougar?”

“I do, of course,” Cougar replied without hesitation, moving to the tree and reaching into the branches at the back to come up with a small black velveteen box. He walked over to Jake, who looked a little surprised and confused until Cougar dropped to one knee, making Jake’s eyes go wide as saucers. Cougar flipped the ring box open, revealing two simple black steel bands and offering them to Jake as he asked softly, “ _Me haras el hombre mas feliz del mundo, mi amor? Casate conmigo._ ”

Jake let out a soft little strangled noise and breathed out, “ _Si, mil veces si_.” He reached for Cougar, pulling Cougar up off of the floor to kiss him like he might devour him then and there. Cougar rumbled slightly into the kiss, not quite a chuckle, and gracefully moved to settle astride Jake’s thighs like it was where he belonged, his arms wrapping loosely around Jake’s neck with the ring box still in one hand.

Beth squealed happily, turning to hug Jessica, who was beaming as she said, “Finally!”

Clay chuckled, pleased for his boys as he watched them and said dryly, “It _is_ about time one of you mustered up the guts to make it official. You’ve been married in all but name for _years_.”

Jake pulled away from Cougar, eyes going wide again as he suddenly blurted, “Can I be an Alvarez? Or do you want to be a Jensen? Or maybe both, the mailbox _does_ already say-”

Cougar just laughed and cut him off with another kiss, lingering until Jake had relaxed and was kissing back with soft little happy noises, then Cougar pulled away just enough to murmur, “The vows need not change our names.”

Jake shook his head, already gathering his scattered wits. “Oh no, my last name is going to be the same as yours, that’s the whole point of getting the stupid paperwork! We do the dressing up, which I’d look horrible in a dress but I will if you want me to, and the whole standing up in front of friends and family thing to promise _God_ to be together forever and then we both get to end up with the same last name. It’s right there at the end, after the priest says ‘I now pronounce you husband and wi-’ ... Well, husband and husband, I guess, though I don’t mind being the wife for you as long as you don’t make me eat my own cooking, but anyway, after all that and the kiss, then we get to be introduced for the first time with the same last name! I know, ‘cause Jess _loves_ watching sappy chick flicks and she’s made me sit through a _million_ where they get married at the end and-”

Cougar covered Jake’s mouth with his hand, grinning and trying very hard not to laugh. “I love you very much, _mi loco hermoso amor_ , but you are too much a Jensen to ever be an Alvarez, and I am not ... _loco enough_ to be a Jensen.” Jake pouted behind Cougar’s hand, giving Cougar his best pleading look, and Cougar said quickly, “Not the _puppy eyes_! Not in _public_! We have _talked_ about this!” Jake pretended to sniffle, his blue eyes starting to look truly sad, and Cougar groaned, throwing up his hands. “ _Ay Dios mio_! Fine! Have it your way! We will both be whatever you wish, just do not _pout at me_!”

Jake beamed like the sun coming out from behind the clouds, blue eyes sparkling as he leaned to kiss Cougar without saying a word. 

Jessica and Beth both started laughing as Clay said dryly, “Coug, brother, that was just sad.”

Cougar didn’t bother to answer Clay, leaning a little closer to Jake to deepen the kiss and incidentally blocking Beth’s view of his right hand as he flipped Clay off, still holding the nearly forgotten ring box.

“Definitely not happening, Coug,” Clay said dryly, smirking. “Jake doesn’t share well with others, we know this.”

Cougar let out a strangled little snort of a laugh, still kissing Jake, then pulled away to end the kiss and grin at Jake. “I do not share either.”

“Don’t want you to,” Jake agreed, grinning. “Stuck with me for _life_ now, _mi magnifico puma_.”

“You say that as if it were a bad thing,” Cougar murmured, kissing Jake lightly again before he pulled away further, settling back on Jake’s knees to lift the ring box between them and take out the slightly larger of the two rings. “Left hand.”

Jake lifted his left hand from Cougar’s hip, holding his fingers spread and watching Cougar put the ring onto his finger, where it just barely managed to get over the second knuckle and then settled comfortably at the base of his finger, fitting perfectly. “I’d ask how you did that, but I already know the answer.” He reached into the ring box and took the other ring out, holding it out to Cougar.

Cougar dropped the ring box by them on the couch, resting his right hand on Jake’s shoulder as he lifted the left hand to let Jake put the ring on. It slipped on just as Jake’s had, snug enough not to slip accidentally past the knuckle but loose enough to be comfortable, then smirked at him and whispered, “I’m _magic_.” 

Beth giggled at that, but neither Jake or Cougar seemed to notice, just staring into each other’s eyes.

Jake gave Cougar a soft, sweet little smile he seldom let other people see, blue eyes sparkling as he murmured, “ _Dios te amo_.”

“ _Te amo tambien_ ,” Cougar replied softly, then kissed him again.

Beth giggled again, looking at her mother and beaming as she muttered, “Now if you’d just get with Uncle Clay like we _all_ know you want to, everyone could be happy.”

Jessica stared at Beth for a moment, remembering how just a few weeks ago she would have hotly denied wanting to be with Clay, even though it was true then, too. “Think I should?”

Beth’s eyes widened a bit and she nodded quickly. “I’ve thought you should for _ages_ , Mom. Uncle J says he loves you, and he knows him well enough to tell.”

Jake pulled away from Cougar with a soft gasp, his gaze staying on Cougar’s sparkling eyes as he said quickly, “Totally nuts over you, sis.”

“Si, it is love, I agree,” Cougar murmured, glancing over at Jessica and Beth with dark sparkling eyes and a little smirk. “And I know love when I see it.” He looked back at Jake, his expression softening as he added, “There it is.” He kissed Jake again, ignoring Jake’s low amused rumble and Beth’s giggle.

Beth looked at her mother, grinning. “You know you wanna.”

Jessica started at Beth a moment longer and then moved to look at Clay, wanting to see his opinion. She knew he had heard every word.

Clay smiled, soft and warm. “Whatever you want will be fine with me, darlin’,” he repeated quietly.

Jessica just looked at him for a moment longer and then looked at Beth. “Sure you won’t think less of me, honey?”

“Only if you’re too stupid to go for it,” Beth said instantly.

Jessica let out a soft little surprised laugh. “So like your Uncle J.” She kissed Beth’s forehead and then stood, walking around the coffee table to where Clay was sitting and then asking softly, “Room for one more in that chair?”

“For you? Always,” Clay replied easily, holding open his arms.

Jessica smiled and settled comfortably sideways across Clay’s lap like she had earlier, enjoying the way he didn’t hesitate to hold her but didn’t get fresh, either. “I could get used to this.”

“Merry Christmas to me,” Clay replied, smirking.

  
  


~ End  
  


Translations:

“ _Mi amor loco,_ ” = my crazy love

“ _Mi magnifico puma me ama_!” = My magnificent cougar loves me!

“ _Si senor_.” = Yes, sir.

“ _Buen chico_.” = Good boy.

“ _Perrito tonto_.” = Silly puppy.

“ _Tampoco yo_.” = Me neither.

“Christmas _es para la familia_. _Si_?” = Christmas is for the family. Yes?

“ _Yo tambien te amo, hermanita_.” = I love you too, little sister.

“ _Me haras el hombre mas feliz del mundo, mi amor? Cásate conmigo._ ” = Will you make me the happiest man in the world, my love? Marry me.

“ _Si, mil veces si._ ” = Yes, a thousand times yes.

“ _Mi loco hermoso amor._ ” = my crazy beautiful love

“ _Ay Dios mio!_ ” = Oh my God!

“ _Dios te amo._ ” = God I love you.

 _“Te amo tambien.”_ = I love you too.


End file.
